Football: Germany must mind the gaps

News of a comprehensive Germany victory here last night will have travelled fast to the White Hart Lane dressing rooms.

Yet, before Sven Goran Eriksson and his team give up hope of victory in Munich in 16 days, they would do well to study the videotape of this match.

True, goals by Jorg Bohme, Sebastian Kehl, Carsten Jancker, Frank Baumann and Oliver Bierhoff gave Rudi Voller's side an emphatic scoreline to take into the World Cup qualifier, yet this was not the overpowering Germany side of the pre-1998 years.

Nor was it the Magical Magyars they faced in the Nepstadion. Ferenc Puskas, Nandor Hidegkuti and Florian Albert were all on the pitch last night, but solely before kick-off as feted guests at the centenary celebrations of the Hungarian FA.

Bertalan Bicskei's present side are but a shadow of earlier vintages. They lie behind Italy and Romania in Group Eight of the qualifiers and possess a fragile confidence as they seek to re-establish themselves among Europe's elite.

'You can't compare this match to the one against England,' said Voller. 'It's like comparing two different pairs of shoes.

'But still it was important to get a win like this two weeks before such an important game. To win 5-2 away against a team which held Italy to 2-2 here is pleasing.

'We played well going forward, but we were lackadaisical in the last 20 minutes. Hungary had a lot of chances in that time. In a qualifying match, the opposition would have punished us.'

Voller's words indicate that he will not allow his players to bask in unmerited glory as they fly home to Germany today.

Most encouraging for England was the ease with which Hungary created space among his defence, which again looked ponderous through the middle.

Just as Jari Litmanen and Mikael Forssell terrified the heart of Voller's backline in Finland's 2-2 draw with Germany in June, so a combination of Krisztian Lisztes as the playmaker and Attila Tokoli forged a succession of openings for Hungary.

Lisztes, who plays for Werder Bremen, was the inspiration. In the eighth minute he spun easily away from Kehl, the 20-year-old making his first start for Germany, to slide a ball through for Tokoli.

Marco Rehmer made the saving tackle. Three minutes later, there was nothing the Hertha Berlin player and his fellow central defenders could do as they were opened up again by Lisztes and Bela Illes. This time the ball just evaded Tokoli's outstretched boot.

Fortunately for the Germans, Hungary were equally accommodating in defence. Bohme's free-kick flicked off the bar and Dietmar Hamann saw his 20-yard drive spilled by Gabor Kiraly in the home goal before Germany were awarded a 31st-minute penalty. Gabor Halmai pulled back Jancker in the area, allowing Bohme to bury his spot kick low to Kiraly's left.

As Hungary's confidence drained, Germany sealed victory a minute before half-time. Kiraly had used his feet to block Sebastian Deisler's shot two minutes earlier but he was powerless to prevent Kehl's 25-yard effort flashing past him.

It became almost embarrassingly one-sided after the interval. First, Jancker diverted substitute Lars Ricken's cross-shot 90 seconds into the second half. Then Baumann rose unchallenged to head home a Ricken free-kick in the 59th minute to establish a 4-0 lead.

Hungary rallied among a flurry of German substitutions and Tokoli's low shot beat Oliver Kahn in 63 minutes. Ferenc Horvath side-footed home a second in the 90th-minute but substitute Bierhoff had the final say with a header.